An abandoned apartment complex on the SE corner of Scottsdale Rd. and 68th Street, next to Scottsdale Fashion Square could soon give way to a luxury condominium complex with street-level retail. The Optima Sonoran Village has plans to replace the existing Orchidtree Apartment Complex. The 9.87-acre complex, has been sitting vacant on the southeastern corner of Camelback Road and 68th Street for about three years.

The property was purchased last spring by Optima, who recentlydeveloped the Optima Camelview Village condominium complex at Scottsdale Road and Rancho Vista Drive.

Optima Sonoran Village has plans to include 493 residential units and 40,000 square feet of commercial, retail and amenity space. A Total of Five buildings would be arranged around two courtyards in the center of the property. Four of the buildings would be seven stories in height, while the fifth building would have five floors.

“It’s a perfect site to do multifamily housing, and we think it’s going to be a great addition to the neighborhood and city of Scottsdale,” said David Hovey Jr., a vice president with Optima. “We had overwhelming support by the neighbors. I personally talked with many of the neighbors, and it’s been a great response.”

Optima Sonoran Village would have the same “vertically stacked courtyard house concept” as Optima Camelview Village, Hovey said. If the council approves the changes in zoning, Optima plans to start construction on Sonoran Village in the next year and a half and take 3 years to complete.